


No Matter What They Say

by TolkienGirl



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Friendship, Gen, No Slash, decided to use the line from the film in a different way, for parallelism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-07
Updated: 2016-04-07
Packaged: 2018-05-31 18:48:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6482884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TolkienGirl/pseuds/TolkienGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He knows Bucky as well as he knows himself, and it doesn't matter that the world doesn't believe what he does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Matter What They Say

They say he was found on a beach.

It's not hard for the rest of the world to believe that Captain America pulled himself out of the depths alone, against all odds.

But he _is_ Captain America, the man behind the mask—behind the shield—and he knows that he couldn't have done it alone, just like he knows that he does nothing alone.

A soldier is no greater than his loyalty to his comrades. He believes that, even when the rest of the world doesn't.

He believes a lot that the rest of the world doesn't. That the world has forgotten, perhaps, but then, he's had longer to remember.

And he remembers Bucky before his eyes were full of demons and his hand was made of steel. He knew Bucky as well as Bucky knew him…Steve, the schoolyard runt who even the kindest could only ever have called "plucky."

He carries that Steve with him. He won't let himself forget that Steve, just as he won't let himself forget Bucky as he really is.

Of course, the rest of the world doesn't believe him.

 _Not the man you think,_ they say.

_Not who you remember._

_But I knew him,_ he thinks, and suddenly he knows with certainty why he is alive.


End file.
